Can Sloane succeed Serena and Venus?

By Matthew Knight, CNN

Updated 1319 GMT (2019 HKT) August 28, 2012

Sloane Stephens: Tennis' rising star8 photos

Sloane Stephens: Superstar in the making – Sloane Stephens has had a great year on the WTA Tour, reaching two semifinals and making the fourth round of the French Open. Her success is built around an aggressive game which has led to comparisons with Serena Williams.

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Sloane Stephens: Tennis' rising star8 photos

Power game – The 19-year-old American is extremely athletic and counts a speedy serve among her weaponry.

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Sloane Stephens: Tennis' rising star8 photos

Fearsome forehands – She also possesses a ferocious forehand which has been used to quell many oppenents this year. A strong showing at Wimbledon, where she reached the third round, was followed by her best ever performance at Roland Garros, eventually losing to U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur in the fourth round.

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Sloane Stephens: Tennis' rising star8 photos

Success as a junior – Stephens' success in 2012 follows a successful career as a junior. She first picked up a racket when she was nine years old, and moved from California to a Florida tennis academy to hone her skills.

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Sloane Stephens: Tennis' rising star8 photos

Doubles joy at Wimbledon – Her junior career included three consecutive doubles titles at the French Open, Wimbledon (pictured) and the U.S. Open with Timea Babos from Hungary (second left) in 2010.

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Sloane Stephens: Tennis' rising star8 photos

Growing fanbase – According to Jeff Newman, tournament director at the Citi Open in Washington D.C., Stephens has the "it" factor. "She resonates with the fans and has a great personality," Newman says.

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Sloane Stephens: Tennis' rising star8 photos

Highly marketable – "People are looking for the next superstar -- someone to replace the Williams sisters -- and she certainly has the ability," says Newman.

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Sloane Stephens: Tennis' rising star8 photos

Talented parents – Stephens is blessed with great sporting genes. Her mother Sybil Smith was a champion swimmer for Boston University, while her father John Stephens (pictured) was an NFL running back. They divorced when Sloane was a child, and he was killed in a car accident in 2009.

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Story highlights

Sloane Stephens has enjoyed a successful year on the tour and is hotly tipped for success

The 19-year-old will play Italy's Francesca Schiavone in the opening round of the U.S. Open

She is the daughter of former NFL player John Stephens and ex-swimmer Sybil Smith

Rising star looking to build on promising runs at Wimbledon and the French Open earlier this year

"Do I look like Serena? Like, come on. Seriously?" Sloane Stephens understandably rankles at such a comparison with one of the world's greatest tennis players.

"You know, it's kind of crazy, but it's really not that bad. But when you hear it, it's like, 'Oh my god, did they just say that?' "

Only the laziest of observers could mistake the 19-year-old rising star for a Williams sister off the court. But on it, the similarities are striking.

Blessed with natural athleticism and steely determination allied to a powerful serve and forehand, Stephens shares many of the attributes that have helped Venus and Serena dominate the women's game over the past 15 years.

Posters of the sisters, who have won 21 grand slam singles titles between them, adorned Stephens' bedroom walls when she was growing up.

"I love them. Obviously they're like the coolest people. They are the greatest tennis players ever to me," she told CNN's Open Court.

Sloane Stephens: America's rising star

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'Better than 10' – Tennis star Venus Williams has relaunched her clothing label EleVen ahead of the U.S. Open. The 32-year-old took time out of her playing career to graduate from fashion school.

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Venus Williams' fashion highs and lows8 photos

Standing out from the crowd – Williams has had a distinctive look since she first burst onto the scene in the mid-1990s. As a teenager she was well known for her braided hair.

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Venus Williams' fashion highs and lows8 photos

Not-so-mellow yellow – As her career continued and her interest in fashion grew, Williams began to experiement with her on-court outfits. At the 2010 Australian Open, the seven-time grand slam champion sported this neon yellow number.

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Venus Williams' fashion highs and lows8 photos

Racy in red – Williams lit up the clay at a WTA event in Madrid in 2010 with this risque red and black dress.

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Venus Williams' fashion highs and lows8 photos

Baring it all – The former world No. 1 caused a stir by wearing flesh colored shorts under a corset dress at Roland Garros in 2010.

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Venus Williams' fashion highs and lows8 photos

Venus Williams wimbledon 2010 – The 2010 season proved to be one of Williams' most experimental. But the American proved she can also stand out when observing the strict all-white code at Wimbledon.

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Venus Williams' fashion highs and lows8 photos

Pretty in pink – At the final grand slam of 2010, Williams opted for a short pink dress with sparkly decoration at her home U.S. Open.

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Venus Williams' fashion highs and lows8 photos

Australian Open 2011 – She began 2011 in equally bold style, turning out at the Australian Open in a yellow lattice dress.

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EXPAND GALLERY

Serena Williams battles 'crazy hair' 6 photos

Serena Williams battles 'crazy hair'6 photos

Letting her hair down – Serena Williams displays her "super crazy" hairstyle before her Cincinnati opener against Elena Daniilidou.

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Serena Williams battles 'crazy hair'6 photos

In control – The American had her tresses in control for the start of the second-round match against the Greek qualifier.

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Serena Williams battles 'crazy hair'6 photos

'80s style – But despite using what she called "an '80s scrunchie," Williams' hair soon fought its way free in the windy conditions.

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Serena Williams battles 'crazy hair'6 photos

Unprofessional styling – It didn't stop her winning, but the in-form American was frustrated after making 44 unforced errors -- which she said was "unprofessional."

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Serena Williams battles 'crazy hair'6 photos

Olympic champion – Williams has now won 35 of her last 36 singles matches, having claimed the Olympic women's title for the first time as well as defending her doubles crown with older sister Venus.

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Serena Williams battles 'crazy hair'6 photos

Sister act – Venus also won her opening match in Cincinnati, beating Olympic semifinalist Maria Kirilenko of Russia as she kept her trademark long braids safely tied up.

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EXPAND GALLERY

Venus works really hard and is a great role model for girls, she says, while Serena has become a close friend.

"We talk about everything ... anything that comes to mind. We always have good conversations and we have a lot of things to talk about. So it works out."

2012 has been a breakthrough year in Stephens' fledgling career. She reached the second round of the Australian Open in January before making her Fed Cup debut for the U.S. alongside Serena against Ukraine in April.

Promising performances followed at both Wimbledon (reaching the third round) and at Roland Garros, where she achieved her best grand slam result to date, losing to U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur in the last 16.

Results away from the grand slams have also been encouraging, with semifinal appearances at WTA events in Strasbourg in May and more recently in Washington D.C.

All of which has helped earn Stephens a top-50 ranking heading into the U.S. Open, where she meets Italy's Francesca Schiavone in the opening round on Tuesday.

The former French Open champion and two-time quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows beat Stephens in Strasbourg and will provide a stern examination of the young American's evolving game.

"I'm working on so many different things. Coming to the net more, being more aggressive. I'm really working on my concentration. Staying focused. That's like a big one for me," she said.

Stephens has got a great attitude, says her coach David Nainkin, and doesn't fear the big stage.

"Sloane is a phenomenal athlete and probably has one of the best forehands in the world. She has so many options when she plays. So it's really about (improving) shot selection and channeling her power," Nainkin says.

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"She's a great personality. She speaks very well ... she's fun to be around and she's great for tennis."

Stephens first picked up a racket when she was nine, catching the eye of coach and former men's pro, Francisco Gonzalez at the Sierra Sport & Racquet Club in Fresno, California.

On his advice, her mother Sybil Smith decided to relocate the family to Florida to further Stephens' ambitions, enlisting her at the Saviano High Performance Tennis Academy in Fort Lauderdale.

It was a smart move and provided the platform for a successful junior career which saw Stephens claim three consecutive junior grand slam doubles titles in 2010 at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows with Hungarian partner Timea Babos.

It was also proof of her exceptional sporting genes -- her mother was a champion swimmer at Boston University while her biological father, John Stephens, who tragically died in a car crash in 2009, was a former NFL running back.

Smith and Stephens divorced when Sloane was a child, and she saw little of her father while growing up. But his death, aged 43, was a painful blow and followed the loss of her stepfather to cancer two years earlier.

"When my dad died it was a really tough time, but my whole family has been super supportive. I've come out a better person and I've learned so much at a young age," Stephens said.

It was her stepfather who got Stephens hooked on tennis in the first place, Smith told CNN.

"He was very passionate about tennis. Sloane was always watching him at the club before we moved to Florida. The two of them really had a tennis bond," Smith said.

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Today, Smith, who also has a son, Shawn, tries to keep things as normal as they can be for her daughter, treading the line between protector and liberator.

"You know, sometimes I don't travel because she really does need to feel the pressure on her own. But you keep your day-to-day routines the same and keep your family and your values the same and it works out pretty well," she said.

Stephens' maturity bodes well for her future, says James Blake, former American No. 1 and winner of 10 titles on the men's ATP Tour.

"She seems fearless. She doesn't appear to be in awe of anything, and that's impressive at that age," Blake said.

"When I came on tour, I was definitely a little shook by playing Pat Rafter and Andre Agassi ... but she doesn't seem like that and that's impressive. It's going to win her some matches later."

For now though, Stephens is just looking forward to her home slam, where she reached the third round in her debut last year.

"Oh, it's crazy. It's just so many people and they all want you to win," she said.

"It's so nice just to be on court where everyone is cheering for you. A home slam is always really special and this year will be just as amazing as all the other ones."